David L. Robertson

David L. Robertson | JRNLClub

Research Statement

AI generated · 3d ago

David L. Robertson's research centres on the evolutionary genetics of viral pathogens, with a particular emphasis on how mutation and recombination shape host adaptation. His senior-author reviews on SARS-CoV-2 spike mutations and immune escape (2021) and variant biology, transmission and fitness (2023) are among the most cited syntheses of the pandemic era, while earlier first-author work on recombination in HIV-1 established a framework for understanding how genetic exchange accelerates viral diversification. Related studies on preferential host switching by primate lentiviruses and on natural selection shaping SARS-CoV-2 in bats extend this comparative, phylogenetically grounded approach. Beyond these, Robertson contributed as a co-author to the identification of HIV-1's chimpanzee origin (1999) and to consortium work evaluating the D614G spike mutation's effects on transmissibility and pathogenicity (2020). His collaborations include Arvind Varsani, reflecting a broader network spanning virology and genomics. No software, datasets, patents or grants are indexed beyond his publications. Taken together, the work traces a consistent line: using genomic and phylogenetic analysis to explain how viruses jump hosts, recombine, and evade immunity.

Most Cited Works

SARS-CoV-2 variants, spike mutations and immune escape

William T Harvey, Alessandro M Carabelli, Ben Jackson, Ravindra K Gupta, Emma C Thomson, Ewan M Harrison, Catherine Ludden, Richard Reeve, Andrew Rambaut, COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium, Sharon J Peacock, David L Robertson

Nature Reviews Microbiology2021

3,523Citations

SARS-CoV-2 variant biology: immune escape, transmission and fitness

Alessandro M Carabelli, Thomas P Peacock, Lucy G Thorne, William T Harvey

Research Areas

SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchEvolution and Genetic DynamicsHIV Research and TreatmentGenomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBioinformatics and Genomic Networks

Affiliations & Education

Employment

2017–present· now
University of Glasgow(GB)
Research Professor · MRC Centre for Virus Research

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David L. Robertson

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